Like many other fast-growing cities around the world, Mexico City is facing
severe water shortages. Many of its 20 million inhabitants receive only one hour of
piped water per week. Others receive none at all for weeks on end. Those who can
afford the expense build their own home water system to catch and keep rainwater
to supplement the city water. The situation, according to international experts, is
the result of a combination of factors. First, the system of pipes is old and poorly
managed, with the result that the pipes lose almost 40 percent of the water that
they distribute around the city. Second, the demand for water, which has grown
with the rapid population growth, far exceeds the supply. Furthermore, the water
is consumed not only by residents for household use, but also by thirsty industries
such as beer-brewers and soft-drink bottlers, and there is little incentive' for them
to conserve or recycle water.